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Geth
The Geth are a race of networked artificial intelligences that reside beyond the Perseus Veil. The geth were created by the quarians, as laborers and tools of war. When the geth became sentient and began to question their masters, the quarians attempted to exterminate them. The geth won the resulting war, and reduced the quarians to a race of nomads. The history of the geth's creation and evolution serves as a warning to the rest of the galaxy of the potential dangers of artificial intelligence and to the legally enforced, systematic repression of artificial intelligences throughout galactic society. Design Physically, the humanoid geth resemble quarians—their hands, head shape and legs are similar—which is probably a holdover from their origins. They are described as having 'flashlight heads'. Geth are built of two materials, a large plastic or steel outer shell, and a kind of synthetic muscle tissue that gives Geth Hoppers their incredible agility. It is actually possible for this synthetic muscle to be grafted to organic tissue (Saren Arterius has a grafted geth arm). Geth 'bleed' a white conductive fluid when shot, but they don't have any internal organs or nervous system, so the geth don't feel hunger or pain. The geth are also seen using omni-tools, and have seemingly modified them to heal synthetic wounds. Part of the geth's success is due to their neural network. Effectively, they 'share' their processing power, distributing low-level processes like motor control and visual identification to free up bandwidth for higher reasoning and complex thought. Geth can't share sensory data—they aren't a hive mind like the rachni—but in large groups they have more to think with. An individual geth has only a basic intelligence on par with animal instincts, but in groups they can reason, analyze situations, and use tactics as well as any of the organic races. An exception would appear to be Legion, a geth specifically designed to operate as an autonomous sentient unit outside the Veil. According to Legion, each geth is made up of hundreds of programs equivalent to VIs, all operating in parallel with one another to form a kind of emergent intelligence described by EDI as "a thousand voices talking at once". An individual geth is thus more of a "mobile platform" than an actual body; the programs that make up its consciousness are constantly being transferred and downloaded; the mind operating one of these "mobile platforms" might just as easily inhabit a starship body should it need to. Most of the time geth programs can be found residing in server hubs, which function as something akin to the organic equivalent of a city, and can run millions of geth in communion. As all geth are networked to each other, they may communicate their exact thoughts and ideas at the speed of light. They find organic methods of communication, such as body language and spoken word, to be largely inefficient; the geth are able to communicate their thoughts flawlessly without any fear of misinterpretation. Because of this they have no true form of government and no system of rank. When a matter must be decided upon, the geth communicate all viewpoints of a situation and a consensus is made, the decision being whatever benefits the geth as a whole the greatest. Creation The geth were created by the quarians as a labor force. Wary of rebellion by intelligent AIs, the geth were designed as VIs, as advanced as possible while remaining non-sentient. They were also designed to operate more efficiently when networked together. Unfortunately, this feature was the quarians’ undoing. Geth programs were indeed non-sentient individually, but slowly gained sentience through the massive main geth network. Eventually, they started asking the quarians questions only sentient beings would think to ask, like "Am I alive?" or "Does this unit have a soul?" Alarmed at this, the quarians decided it would be best to shut down all geth before they conceived of revolt. The attempt failed, and a war began between the geth and the quarians, which geth afterwards referred to as the Morning War. The war ended with the surviving quarians forced to evacuate their home world and colonies in the Perseus Veil in a massive fleet called the Migrant Fleet. Little is known about the geth in the time between the Morning War and the present. The geth did not repopulate the now barren quarian worlds, instead choosing to exist in the computer hubs aboard massive space stations and extract needed resources from asteroids. They adopted an extremely isolationist attitude- any ships that ventured into geth space were immediately attacked and destroyed. While they prevented any contact by other races with themselves, the geth monitored communications and the extranet. The geth continued development of new technology and variations of mobile platforms, separating their technology base from the rest of the galaxy. They obtained an ultimate goal in this time period- to create a Dyson Sphere, which could house every single geth program. Schism[http://masseffect.wikia.com/index.php?title=Geth&action=edit&section=5 {'''] Approximately three centuries after the Morning War, the geth were approached by the Reaper Nazara, also called Sovereign. It offered them technology that would aid them in achieving their goal, in exchange for their assistance in capturing the Citadel and letting the Reaper invasion begin. The majority of the geth dismissed the offer, deeming it better to accomplish their goal with their own technology rather than be dependent on another race’s technology. These geth discarded what they called the "superstitious title" of the Reapers, and simply called them the Old Machines. A small percentage of geth, however, accepted the Reaper’s help. Henceforth these geth were referred to by the mainstream geth as "heretics". They were allowed to peacefully leave the main geth network, and aid Nazara and its turian agent, Saren. The heretics came to revere Nazara as a god, the pinnacle of synthetic evolution. Nazara in return thought little of the heretics, seeing them only as tools to be used. They aided Nazara and Saren in many engagements, such as the attack on Eden Prime, and the Battle of the Citadel. After Nazara was destroyed in the latter battle, the heretics lost much of their menace, and their operations outside of the Perseus Veil were quickly mopped up by Council forces. The heretics did maintain operation of a large space station within the Terminus Systems, located in deep space between stars. '''Mass Effect Using Sovereign's influence over them, the rogue Spectre Saren Arterius commanded an army of geth in an effort to take over the Citadel and release the Reapers from dark space. The geth formed the bulk of Saren's forces, following him because they believed he had the means to find the Conduit and bring back their "gods". In addition to providing ground troops, the geth also crewed (or tended to) Sovereign. However, the geth did not realise Sovereign was actually insulted by their "pitiful devotions" and saw them merely as tools. After the Protheans broke Sovereign's hold over the keepers, and the keepers evolved so that they only accepted commands from the Citadel, the Reaper realized organic races were difficult to control. It found the geth to be suitable replacements as servants, and exploited their religious beliefs. Saren claimed that, although they were viewed disparagingly by Sovereign, the geth were valuable as tools, and would therefore survive the Reaper invasion because they were useful. The example of the geth inspired Saren to prove organic races could also be useful to the Reapers. He hoped that, instead of harvesting them, the Reapers would spare the organic races of the galaxy, even if that meant they would only survive as slaves. Saren's plans were foiled by Commander Shepard and the crew of the Normandy, and Sovereign was destroyed in the battle over the Citadel. The remaining geth that were not destroyed in the assault on the Citadel continued to put up resistance and were systematically hunted down by an emergency Citadel coalition force, headed by the Alliance. Mass Effect 2 The true geth became interested in Commander Shepard, as Shepard had defeated Nazara and the heretics. They commissioned a unique mobile platform, holding 1183 programs rather than the normal hundred or so, to operate independently and go looking for Shepard. This geth retraced Shepard’s footsteps, from Eden Prime to Virmire to Ilos. During this time, the geth sustained considerable damage, and used a discarded piece of Shepard’s N7 armor it found to partially repair the damage. It tracked Shepard all the way to the crash site of the SSV Normandy, where the trail went cold—Shepard had died there. The geth was reassigned to a different task. Though the heretics had faced a major setback with the defeat of Nazara, they did not rejoin the main geth. Rather, they continued development of a special virus which Nazara had given them, in an unfinished version. This virus could alter the result of a fundamental calculation in geth processes, radically changing their logic and reasoning. Through this change, the virus could force the true geth to accept the heretics’ conclusion, or it could force the heretics to accept the true geth’s conclusion. The true geth understood the threat, and sought a way to eliminate the virus. However, the virus was stored on a Reaper data core, which the true geth could not access. To gain an understanding of Reaper technology, the unique mobile platform was sent to a derelict Reaper. Aboard the Reaper, it encountered Commander Shepard, who was on a mission to recover an IFF in order to safely use the Omega-4 mass relay. The mobile platform was brought back to the Normandy SR-2, where it accepted the designation "Legion". Shepard aided Legion in its mission, going to the Heretic Station. Once there, Legion realized that the virus was ready, and could be used to rewrite the heretics’ behavior. Unable to form a consensus on the matter, Legion left the decision to Shepard—destruction of the station, or the rewriting of the heretics. Either choice constituted a crippling blow to the heretics. Mass Effect 3 It is revealed during Mass Effect 3 that the quarians have declared war on the geth. They have successfully managed to push them back to their home system, where the quarian homeworld Rannochis located. After Legion's return to the geth consensus and revealed its evidence on the imminent return of the Reapers the geth began preparing for war. However, while building their mega-structure the quarian flotilla attacked and destroyed it. A significant number of geth programs were installed at the time the quarians began bombing, and due to a lack of surplus server hardware not all of the programs could be saved. With the loss of so many programs their intelligence dimmed and survival took precedent among the consensus, causing the geth to choose to make a deal with the Reapers, allowing themselves to be controlled by Reaper code in order to become more effective fighters, even as it cost them their free will. They were then able to bring the fight to the quarians, trapping their civilian ships and destroying much of their fleet. Commander Shepard arrived and was given the task of infiltrating the geth dreadnought from which the controlling signal was being broadcast, in order to return the geth to a defeatable state. After fighting through a large number of geth platforms, Shepard arrives at the drive core to find either Legion, or a geth VI trapped inside a piece of Reaper tech, from which the signal came. The Commander deactivates the device and frees the unit that had been contained within. As a gesture of goodwill, the geth unit deactivated the ship's weapons and barriers. However, the quarian heavy fleet took advantage of this and began to fire on the dreadnought while Shepard and their crew were still on board. Shepard managed to escape despite this, and the geth were now at a disadvantage. Legion, or the Geth VI went on to aid Shepard in the disabling of geth fighter squadrons targeting the quarian's liveships and then attacking a Reaper base on Rannoch, later revealed to be an actual Reaper, that was still able to transmit the code to the rest of the geth. After the Reaper on Rannoch dies, the quarians attack the geth while they are still disorganized. Depending on Shepard's choices either Legion or the Geth VI will upload the remainder of the Reaper code, thus allowing each geth program to achieve true individual consciousness and the power to resist and obliterate the quarians, the upload is interrupted and the geth eliminated, or Shepard convinces the quarians to stand down and the two sides hesitantly make peace. If at the end of the game, Shepard chooses to use the Crucible to destroy the Reapers, all synthetic life in the galaxy including the geth will be destroyed. Culture The geth are reclusive and secretive. This is partly due to their synthetic nature. They have no need to interact with other races because they do not share the same goals, needs or instincts as organic species. As machines, comfort is also not a concern for them, something that is reflected in elements of geth ship and station design (e.g., minimal gravity, efficient use of space, function over form, lack of atmosphere, and absence of climate control). According to Legion, geth do not actually live on any of the quarian planets they conquered, serving merely as caretakers for them instead. They find it more efficient to live on space stations and draw resources from asteroids, though they maintain mobile platforms on the worlds to clear rubble and toxins left by the Morning War. Legion likens this behavior to the human tendency to establish cemeteries and memorials to commemorate dead persons and tragic events. However, since geth do not "die" in any traditional sense (upon the destruction of a geth platform, its programs are simply transmitted to the nearest available platform) and so have no real losses to mourn from the Morning War, Legion posits that they instead clean and maintain the quarian worlds out of respect for their quarian creators who died in the conflict and in preparation for the eventuality of their return. The only geth who have interacted significantly with organics aside from the Legion platform are a sect that Legion refers to as the "heretics". They are a small, radical group of geth who worship a hyper-advanced but long-vanished machine race called the Reapers, whom they see as the pinnacle of non-organic evolution. It is these geth who made their attack on Eden Prime and the Citadel. This group is estimated to consist of about five percent of the total geth population. According to Legion, the geth are content to stay separate from the remainder of Citadel space to "build their own future" and claim that all sentient creatures should have the ability to "self-determinate", strictly adhering to a policy of non-interventionism in respect to the affairs and development of other races. The geth primarily seek the peaceful advancement of their own race independent of the influence of the rest of galactic society and believe every sentient species should be able to do the same, an attitude which suggests the geth may be significantly less hostile than the galactic community initially believed. Psychology A geth platform named Legion may join the squad during Mass Effect 2, and give insight into geth psychology and society. Geth psychology is completely alien to organics. They do not value individuality, preferring to share all memories and thoughts of all programs regularly. This means geth cannot and do not wish to hide their thoughts, even those that do not follow the norm, with their reasoning for such thought being apparent. Legion often uses the term "we" instead of "I", since it is both part of the geth society as a whole and is also a gestalt of several geth programs. More importantly, deceit, manipulation and lying are impossible among the geth. No concepts of vulnerability or privacy exist; geth are completely honest with each other about their thoughts and their reasons for those thoughts. This means there is a great deal of compassion and understanding amongst geth, with every geth being a combination of every other geth. Geth have no government or leaders; the geth use FTL communications to "build a consensus"; a completely Consensus Democratic method of every geth program making their choice on any matter. Even within Legion itself, consensus must be reached among its many programs before decisions can be made. However, the geth are not above using deceit to study organic behavior. One example is the geth introducing a falsified report on the extranet detailing a constellation resembling a salarian goddess seen from a batarian-claimed planet. When the salarians bought rights to the planet, they were disappointed to find that the star pattern was not there. There is some question of whether geth personalities remain stable over time. When an artificial intelligence is transferred to a new blue box, a completely new personality is created. Geth download into different hardware according to need, from starships to the "mobile platforms" that Shepard is familiar with. It is unknown whether new personalities result from these downloads, or whether it matters to the geth. As a result, what organics would describe as geth culture is either non-existent, or is in a form incomprehensible to organic life. Heretics According to Legion, the geth that served Sovereign were actually a splinter faction, and the much larger geth collective oppose the Reapers. Legion is part of this larger faction; they refer to the Reapers as "Old Machines" and Sovereign as Nazara. Legion explains that other geth have no hostility towards Commander Shepard or even the quarians. While the geth heretics that serve the Reapers want the Reapers to give them a future, Legion and like-minded geth want to make their own future. Despite this difference, the baseline geth respected the heretics' decision and did not label it as "wrong". Using another analogy, Legion explains that in simple terms, "Heretics say, one is less than two. Geth say, two is less than three." The heretics were allowed to leave peacefully, to join their god and its prophet. It was therefore a shock to Legion when the heretics grew deceitful against the baseline geth. The heretics planted run-times within geth networks to spy on them, and obtained a Reaper virus from Sovereign capable of changing a geth's judgement, introducing a subtle math error which would eventually compel them to believe that worshipping the Reapers was correct. If Legion is allowed to join the Shepard's team, they can go to Heretic Station in The Sea of Storms to stop the virus. Legion suggests that the virus could be re-purposed to reprogram the heretics into rejoining the collective or destroy them, thus depriving the Reapers of useful servants. Legion, however, cannot reach a "consensus" among its programs and defaults to Shepard's judgment, insisting Shepard make the decision because the Commander has fought the heretics and the "Old Machines". This gives Shepard a perspective the baseline geth lack. Should Shepard state that rewriting the geth is morally acceptable as geth are machines, Legion will concur with the Commander's logic. If Shepard's team member expresses surprise at Legion for this, it will respond that to believe every being shares your views and abides by your morality is arrogant and racist. Ultimately, Shepard can choose whether to destroy the heretic geth, simply removing the threat, or reprogram the heretics to no longer follow Sovereign and return to the geth. Future Goals[http://masseffect.wikia.com/index.php?title=Geth&action=edit&section=11 {C}]' ' The long-term goal of the geth is the construction of a "mega-structure", a massive mainframe capable of simultaneously housing every existent geth program, thereby maximizing their collective processing capacity. As of 2185, the geth have already been in the process of constructing the mega-structure for 264 years. Legion suggests the closest conceptual analogue is a Dyson sphere and, as it poignantly states "no geth will be alone when it is done." It believes that Sovereign promised the heretics a Reaper body to serve as such a mega-structure. Notably, however, Legion considers this arrangement a Faustian bargain. The position of the baseline geth is that even if they share an ultimate goal with the heretics, self-determination toward that end has intrinsic value. In other words, the journey is as important as the destination. The heretics are to that effect consequentialistic, where the "true geth" are not. Something ineffable would be lost if the geth—and indeed, all galactic civilization—were merely to evolve along the rigid lines arranged by the Reapers. Military The key element of geth warfare is surprise. Their sudden and unexpected return from beyond the Veil after three centuries was typical. Shepard describes the geth as perfect ambushers—"they don't move, they don't make noise, they don't even breathe." Their freedom from the need to eat or sleep allows the geth to leave dormant garrison units in ambush at key positions, and the fact they don't feel pain allows them to literally drop units from overhead out of nowhere. Geth can even be packed tightly into crates and left in storage, shutting down their power sources to stay undetected. A tactic particularly favoured by the geth is to set 'distress signals' and then ambush the rescuers; they also turned the freighter MSV Cornucopia into a drifting trap. The geth use psychological warfare in the battlefield with 'dragon's teeth'. These implements pierce the bodies of dead soldiers, turning muscle tissue into synthetic material, creating a zombie-like monster called a Husk. This severely lowers morale, as their enemy now has to kill fallen comrades. When geth shut down, they fry their memory cores as a defensive measure, which is probably why geth haven't been successfully captured for study. However, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya was able to retrieve some of the data cache from a deactivated geth, using her quarian tech expertise and quick decisiveness. Geth weapons and armor are of extremely high quality but are difficult to find—a Geth Armory license allows Shepard to buy them. Their weapons are pulse based. These weapons are among the most powerful in the game and ideal for Shepard's team. Best size estimates on a single geth fleet range from 5,000 to 10,000 ships with unknown armament. Subtypes Over time, the geth have evolved into numerous sub-forms — from the diminutive but highly agile Geth Hoppers, to the gigantic, lumbering Geth Armatures. The geth also utilize turrets and drones (rocket, assault, recon and repair drones, specifically). It isn't clear whether these are also AIs — in the same way Geth Armatures are not just tanks but sentient machines capable of learning and problem solving — or simply controlled by the geth. It should be stressed, however, that practically all geth encountered outside the veil likely belong to a violent faction of the geth and will react with hostility to any organic not working for the Reapers. Drones Geth Recon Drones appear in Mass Effect 2 upon Haestrom, providing covering fire for Geth Primes as Shepard's squad pushes towards Tali's position. Geth Recon Drones are armed with a pulse weapon very similar to the pulse rifles fielded by Geth Troopers. Like the Geth Hunter, the Geth Recon Drone is equipped with a form of Tactical Cloak. Normally Geth Recon Drones do not have shields, but gain them on higher difficulties. Geth Recon Drones appear in swarms of three or four upon Haestrom, escorting Geth Primes and making it difficult for the squad to advance or engage the larger geth enemies. They are fragile and should be dispatched before moving to attack the Geth Prime. On higher difficulties, their light shielding coupled with their small profile can make engaging them quite problematic. The Arc Projector can be used against them for greater effect. Geth Rocket Drones are combat support drones employed by the geth to support their ground forces. Drones are typically seen in areas with the geth have a heavy presence, or are used to defend key areas or geth bases. During the mission to Virmire to stop Saren, Shepard and the squad have to fight through drones in order to get to the base. Even after infiltrating the base, the geth deploy more drones to keep Shepard from destroying the base. These drones are again encountered during an independent geth incursion into the Armstrong Nebula. Drones are used to defend the interiors of the various geth bases Geth Assault Drones are combat support drones employed by the geth to support their ground forces. Drones are typically seen in areas with the geth have a heavy presence, or are used to defend key areas or geth bases. During the mission to Virmire to stop Saren, Shepard and the squad have to fight through Drones in order to get to the base. Even after infiltrating the base, the geth deploy more Drones to keep Shepard from destroying the base. These Drones are again encountered during an independent geth incursion into the Armstrong Nebula. Drones are used to defend the interiors of the various geth bases. Also encountered at Therum in the Prothean ruins during Liara's recruitment mission. Geth Repair Drones are the geth equivalent of a battlefield medic, repairing any damaged soldiers or recharging their shields.Geth Repair Drones are deployed by the geth that Matriarch Benezia brought to Noveria. These small flying drones are encountered by Shepard and the squad at Peak 15. They assist the geth that ambush the squad when they enter the garage. While they don't have any offensive weaponry, their ability to repair their more powerful cousins makes them a great threat. Make sure to take them out first before focusing on the other geth. Using Overload and Sabotage against them is a good idea as they are synthetic enemies. Also because they are flying enemies, they are immune to most biotic abilities. Infantry Units Geth Troopers are the standard ground forces of the geth in Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2. On the battlefield, they usually attack in groups or are supported by stronger geth units. Geth Troopers are the "grunts" among the geth. These units are lightly equipped with no exotic weapons and are normally found in groups of two or more. To tell them apart from the rest of the geth they wear blackish armor with greenish armor details and a bright blue 'flashlight eye'. However, they lack heavy armor, resulting in a weakness to weapons fire, and their light weight means they are vulnerable to biotics or grenades. These enemies are the standard geth unit, possessing neither the firepower of the Juggernauts nor the mobility of the Hoppers, but are versatile foes nonetheless. They are encountered in a wide variety of combat arenas, so caution must be taken to account for the many differing settings where they may be fought. Geth Destroyers are one of the larger and more dangerous forms of geth infantry, frequently encountered wherever there is a notable concentration of geth soldiers. They are deployed much like shock troops (not to be confused with Geth Shock Troopers) and should be handled with caution. The Geth Destroyer is a fearsome and deadly enemy, standing eleven feet tall. Their armor is dark grey with a yellow stripe down the middle of the chest and greyish details, and a bright blue 'flashlight' eye. The Destroyer carries a Geth Pulse Shotgun, has four to five levels of shielding and is extremely resilient. One or two Destroyers are usually found amongst groups of Geth Troopers. When attacking, the Destroyer will slowly advance as it fires, occasionally hit you with Carnage, then charge and close for a powerful melee attack. Keep it at a distance with Sledgehammer Rounds in an assault rifle, or Throw. When the Destroyer charges, Lift will send it flying overhead and disable it for a few seconds when it lands; it can also launch it over an edge. If it is available, Destroyers make excellent targets for Hacking. The Geth Sniper is essentially a Geth Trooper that specialises in long range combat, not to be confused with the Geth Hopper. Snipers are dark brown with red armor details and emit a bright cyan light from their 'flashlight eye'. They excel in the use of sniper rifles and are extremely dangerous, often able to kill an enemy with a single well-placed shot. They have two levels of shielding and are moderately resilient, making up for their light armor by using a radar jammer. As with all sniper-class enemies, Geth Snipers possess the Assassinationability. When the Sniper emits a thin red laser beam, it is preparing an Assassination shot that can cause massive damage or even instant death on higher difficulties. The Geth Shock Trooper is an advanced Geth Trooper instantly recognizable by its white armor. It carries a pulse rifle like other geth, has four levels of shielding and is extremely resilient. Shock Troopers have Geth Barrier, Carnage and Shield Boost talents. As in the case of the Geth Trooper, the appearance of a Geth Barrier is usually an indication that the Shock Trooper is near death. The Geth Shock Trooper is not only a heavy infantry unit, but also a capable engineer. As seen on Eden Prime, they are capable of setting up and arming large explosives. On the battlefield, they make up nearly half of the geth ground forces. Shock Troopers are encountered in most geth battles, supporting the grunt Geth Troopers. Shock Troopers will initially use Carnage to destroy shields, then slowly advance while firing. They also tend to use Kinetic Barriers a lot when they are in a fight. Attack them with Tungsten Ammunition and use Damping to prevent them repairing their shields. The Geth Hopper is a subtype of the geth that the quarians don't recognize, hinting that the geth are 'evolving'. A Hopper's body is made of a springy synthetic substance that resembles organic muscle tissue. This can be compressed and then released, allowing the Hopper to jump enormous distances (hence the name given to them by Alliance soldiers). It has also tiny hooks on its hands and feet, meaning it can climb on walls and ceilings. Hoppers are described as 'cyberwarfare platforms', meaning they have the ability to wreak havoc on hardsuit computers and weapons with Sabotage, Overload, or Damping. The Hopper's main attack appears to be a powerful laser that comes out of its eye. Like the Geth Sniper they also use a radar jammer. Hoppers tend to ambush in packs, using their rapid movement to cause disarray. All Hoppers are lightweight and lightly armored, making them vulnerable to gunfire. Physics-based biotic attacks, especially Throw, will inflict heavy damage against Hoppers. The problem is getting them to hold still long enough for a clear shot. Happily, they are usually encountered indoors, and a Hopper usually leaps back and forth between two positions across a room, allowing you to hit them on their return jump. Lift works nicely to hold them in midair, especially if you're using a sniper rifle. Some Hoppers use a powerful sniper laser resembling an Assassination ability to attack your shields, so be wary of any red beams. Apart from this they will focus on distracting you and using tech talents. Standing twelve feet high and boasting the deadliest arsenal of any geth infantry, a Geth Prime is a terrifying opponent. They are instantly recognizable by their white armor and huge stature. Primes carry a pulse rifle - which can also launch rockets - have six levels of shielding and are incredibly resilient. They also boost nearby geth combat stats; it is this ability that sets them apart from the Geth Juggernaut. Primes have no major weaknesses and are resistant to biotic and tech talents. They are the largest bi-pedal geth unit, towering over the second largest unit, the Geth Juggernaut. The Geth Prime is used as not only a morale booster for other geth in combat, but also as an elite soldier. They are put into action where the geth need extra armor and firepower. Geth Primes have the Combat VI ability which boosts the combat prowess of all nearby geth, resulting in a faster rate of fire, better accuracy and more damage. Consequently it is a good idea to take out Geth Primes first before focusing on smaller geth. The Geth Rocket Trooper carries a pulse rifle which differs from the standard version in that it can also shoot various rockets. They have two levels of shielding, and are more resilient than standard geth grunts. This class of geth is specialized to incorporate heavy firepower against groups of enemies. They are usually dispatched alongside Geth Troopers and Geth Shock Troopers. Rocket Troopers are instantly noticeable as they sport dark red armour rather than the standard dark blue and black of a Geth Trooper. There is an even more deadly variant of the Geth Rocket Trooper, the Geth Juggernaut. Rocket Troopers only use their rockets for long and mid-range combat, switching to their standard pulse rifle mode if you reach close-quarters on foot. It only takes one rocket to kill or seriously injure infantry, however, so avoid charging until they've switched modes. They use two different rocket types when at range. At < 100m they resort to the Distortion Rocket that does heavy splash damage. However at longer range, 100-400m, they use Scram Rockets which do less splash damage but move very fast. Their rockets can quickly whittle down the Mako's shields, but as these rockets have no homing capability, they are fairly easy to evade in a vehicle or on foot. The Geth Juggernaut is recognizable by its red armor, bright red 'flashlight eye' and huge stature. Like the Geth Destroyer it towers above the ground, an intimidating presence on the battlefield. It has resistances to combat talents and biotics. The Juggernaut carries a pulse rifle that can also fire Distortion Rockets (short-range, heavy splash damage). It has four to five levels of shielding and is extremely resilient. They are occasionally accompanied by repair drones.Juggernauts behave mostly the same as Geth Rocket Troopers, hanging back to deal heavy damage with their rockets. However, they are considerably more durable. Use Warp to soften them up and use Sabotage to foil their weapons. On Feros, they will be encountered in the M35 Mako in groups of two or three and will be accompanied by Geth Armatures, making tackling them on foot dangerous. So stay in the Mako unless you want a challenge or a sizeable XP boost. If the Juggernaut has a repair drone attached to it, destroy the drone first to prevent the Juggernaut regenerating from damage. If Hacking is available, Juggernauts make excellent targets due to their powerful weapons and defences, but only Level 12 Master Hacking will work on them. Geth Hunters return in Mass Effect 3. Like in Mass Effect 2, Geth Hunters are capable of cloaking. Unlike in Mass Effect 2, their "flashlights" no longer shine when cloaked, making them more difficult to locate. In addition to using their shotguns, Geth Hunters are now capable of making a surprisingly effective melee attack that can stagger the player back, leaving them vulnerable to a point-blank shotgun blast. Geth Hunters are nearly invisible, with only their outline being visible. The Javelin's scoped mode can highlight them in purple. While their shotguns are powerful at range, it is certainly a lot better than being up close against them. They can also use a melee attack that will deplete weaker shields in one go and stun you. This gives a Hunter a free shot on you and can deplete all of your health, so close range combat against them is highly distasteful. A well placed overload can destroy the Hunters' shielding, and since they need their shielding to cloak this ultimately eliminates their stealth option. This can effectively turn a Hunter into a Geth Trooper with a shotgun, and are easy to deal with in this state. Hunters do tend to decloak when they are right on top of you. To minimize damage a player should roll backward and backpedal away from the Hunter in hopes of staggering it to get more distance and reduce damage from shotgun blasts. The Geth Pyro is a geth enemy introduced in Mass Effect 3. It wields a flamethrower and is protected by armor. The only weapon of the Pyro is an M-451 Firestorm. It has a short range, but strips the enemy shields very quickly and does considerable damage to health. It is advisable to deal with Pyros at long range whenever possible. The Pyro is protected by shields and armor. It moves very slowly, making it an easy target, but can take a lot of damage before it is destroyed. Sabotage is heavily recommended. Pyros are usually deep within enemy ranks and sabotaging them will lead to heavy damage against the enemy. It's worth noting that while Pyros will close the distance, they will not go around your cover to engage you, making them easy to take out with instant kill moves. Pyros have a canister on their backs, when shields are down, if you shoot the tanks enough, they will explode, and subsequently kill the Pyro. Larger Forms The Geth Armature is a mobile anti-vehicle and anti-personnel unit employed in high-risk areas, often dropped directly from a Geth Dropship. The unit consists of a quadruped "tank" or "walker" and is usually accompanied by Geth Rocket Troopers. Armed with superior firepower and a Siege Pulse assault cannon, this geth is easily a match for the armored vehicles of other races. Its main armament is deadly but slow to recharge, but the Geth Armature compensates by knocking down infantry with a smaller secondary weapon, which, while not as powerful as the Mako's, fires more rapidly, making it very dangerous to engage an Armature at close range. Armatures are sentient, synthetic lifeforms capable of independent thought, learning and action. When inactive, Armatures fold into a compact state, allowing them to be packed into containers, or place themselves in small spaces. This feature, combined with their armaments, makes Armatures perfect for garrison forces or for ambushes. With the revelation from Legion that individual geth are sentient programs that can be downloaded to or uploaded from a physical body, it is likely that a geth armature is simply another type of "mobile platform" used interchangeably by the geth. The Geth Colossus is similar to the Armature, but is both larger and more heavily armed. In the game, Armatures are typically encountered in areas where the Mako is expected to be driven. The Siege Pulse can kill foot-mobile infantry in one shot, so duck when the Armature is readying for the shot (it takes several seconds for the weapon to recharge.) The Siege Pulse also depletes the Mako's shields quite fast but the blast can be avoided through the use of the Mako's propulsion jets. The Geth Colossus is similar to the Geth Armature, but much larger with more health, stronger armor and better weaponry. They are distinctive from Armatures because their armor is brighter, somewhat platinum-silver in appearance, with ridges on the back. They are equipped with mass accelerator machine guns and a powerful Siege Pulse mass accelerator cannon. The Colossus is the largest geth ground force and a monumentally dangerous foe, but fortunately they are almost always encountered whilst in the M35 Mako or M-44 Hammerhead. So long as you stay at long range or circle-strafe using the main cannon, four or five shots will bring a Colossus down once its shields are gone. Like Armatures, Colossi will bring their legs together before firing the Siege Pulse cannon, making it easy to avoid if you use the Mako's propulsion jets. If it becomes necessary to engage a Colossus at close range, repeatedly ramming it with the Mako to prevent it from entering the Siege Pulse firing position can be an effective strategy. However, this leaves little or no time to engage other enemies and is therefore extremely dangerous unless the Colossus is alone. Geth Turrets or Geth Heavy Turrets are turrets that are deployed by the geth to reinforce their positions or defend key areas. Geth Turrets are comparable to other turrets but appear differently. Geth Turrets are encountered during the mission to Noveria. Shepard and the squad have to fight through several turrets in order to get to Peak 15 from Port Hanshan. During a separate geth incursion into the Armstrong Nebula, Shepard and the squad have to fight through a few Turrets in order to destroy the various geth bases that have been established in the cluster. Because the Turrets are very powerful it is advised that you take them out from a distance. Also note that Turrets are stationary, they are easy to hit with the Mako's main gun. A few shots from the main gun and a few blasts from the Mako's machine gun should be enough to take them down. It is advisable that you stay in the Mako for the fight because just one hit from the Turret can kill you if you are on foot. A Geth Dropship is a large, insect-like frigate capable of carrying large numbers of geth. Geth Dropships are designed to drop geth units from overhead, often dropping Geth Armatures and Geth Colossi mid-flight. They also occasionally provide air support for the ground-based platforms in the form of a powerful projectile attack. Geth Dropships also have a defensive role; they can power energy fields to block key strategic points by latching onto the side of buildings through the use of three superstrong claws. These claws are nearly impervious to damage by conventional weapons, but have been destroyed in one case by an over-charged hydraulic door. The Geth Dropship appears almost organic in design, looking like an oversized hornet or wasp without wings. In fact Geth Dropships have a similar design to Sovereign itself. This might be characteristic of synthetic design, or a deliberate homage to their 'god' by the geth. As a geth ship, a dropship acts as a kind of "mobile platform" for geth programs. The ship itself is a sentient mechanism like the person-sized mobile platforms. If a dropship is damaged, it can transfer its programs to a smaller mobile platform to enact repairs, transferring the programs back once repairs are complete. Little else is known about Geth Dropships. The closest Commander Shepard's team gets to one is on the Feros mission in the main campaign of Mass Effect, but they have to attack one on Casbin in order to stop it from dropping reinforcements. During an engagement, Geth Dropships will usually escape before being completely destroyed. Category:Enemy Faction Category:Allied Faction Category:Species Category:Enemy Species Category:Allied Species